Huskers Drop Dual at Iowa, 31-7

Iowa City, Iowa - The No. 13 Nebraska wrestling team took an early 4-0 lead against No. 2 Iowa but fell by a 31-7 margin on Sunday afternoon at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

With the loss, the Huskers fall to 10-5 on the season and 4-4 in Big Ten duals. The Hawkeyes improve to 18-1, with an 8-0 record in the Big Ten. Iowa won the regular season Big Ten title with the victory.

In the opening match of the afternoon, No. 11 Jake Sueflohn won a major decision over Iowa's Brody Grothus, 8-0. Sueflohn has won nine of his last 11 matches and moves to 18-4 on the season. He is 9-3 in dual competition.

At 157 pounds, sophomore James Green suffered his third loss of the season in a 6-4 decision to undefeated No. 1 Derek St. John. Green, who is ranked No. 6 by InterMat, moves to 16-3 overall, with a 9-2 record in duals. At 165, redshirt freshman Austin Wilson was pinned in 6:41 by No. 13 Nick Moore. The Hawkeyes took their first lead of the match, 9-4, with the victory.

Sophomore Robert Kokesh suffered his second loss of the season at 174 pounds in a 9-6 decision against No. 4 Mike Evans. Kokesh's loss snaps his 22-match winning streak as he falls to 27-2 on the season with a 13-2 dual mark.

No. 8 Josh Ihnen responded with a sudden victory over Iowa's Grant Gambrall at 184 pounds. Ihnen, a senior, improves to 20-3 on the season, with a 12-3 dual mark. The Hawkeyes were deducted one point for unsportsmanlike conduct following the match and took an 11-7 lead into intermission.

Junior Caleb Kolb and No. 19 Nathan Burak battled to overtime following a 1-1 tie after three periods at 197 pounds. Burak held off Kolb in a 3-1 sudden victory to give Iowa a 14-7 lead. At heavyweight, Spencer Johnson fell by a 6-2 decision to No. 6 Bobby Telford. Johnson, a sophomore, falls to 4-5 on the season and 2-4 in duals.

At 125 pounds, Eric Coufal lost a 20-5 technical fall to No. 1 Matt McDonough. Junior Shawn Nagel was pinned in 4:05 at 133 pounds by No. 2 Tony Ramos. Both Hawkeye wrestlers are undefeated this season. In the final match, senior Ridge Kiley fell by a 6-1 decision to No. 8 Mark Ballweg.

The Huskers return to action Feb. 17 for the NWCA National Duals. Check Huskers.com for Nebraska's site and opponent.

Feb. 10, 2013
No. 2 Iowa 31, No. 13 Nebraska 7
Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City, Iowa
Attendance: 9,514

Official Results
149: #11 Jake Sueflohn (NEB) by major dec. over Brody Grothus (IOWA), 8-0 (NEB 4, IOWA 0)
157: #1 Derek St. John (IOWA) by dec. over #6 James Green (NEB), 6-4 (NEB 4, IOWA 3)
165: #13 Nick Moore (IOWA) by pin over Austin Wilson (NEB), 6:41 (IOWA 9, NEB 4)
174: #4 Mike Evans (IOWA) by dec. over #2 Robert Kokesh (NEB), 9-6 (IOWA 12, NEB 4)
184: #8 Josh Ihnen (NEB) by sudden victory over Grant Gambrall (IOWA), 5-1 (IOWA 12, NEB 7)
*One-point deduction for Iowa because of unsportsmanlike conduct (IOWA 11, NEB 7)
197: #19 Nathan Burak (IOWA) by sudden victory over Caleb Kolb (NEB), 3-1 (IOWA 14, NEB 7)
HWT: #6 Bobby Telford (IOWA) by dec. over Spencer Johnson (NEB), 6-2 (IOWA 17, NEB 7)
125: #1 Matt McDonough (IOWA) by tech. fall over Eric Coufal (NEB), 20-5 (IOWA 22, NEB 7)
133: #2 Tony Ramos (IOWA) by pin over Shawn Nagel (NEB), 4:05 (IOWA 28, NEB 7)
141: #8 Mark Ballweg (IOWA) by dec. over Ridge Kiley (NEB), 6-1 (IOWA 31, NEB 7)